2007 World Cup
Davos, Switzerland
10km Skate and 4x5km Relay

Having trained in Davos for a week before leaving for Russia, it almost felt like returning home when we arrived at the Hotel Kulm on Monday. It was great to be back! The sun was out and the skiing was perfect. This time, our group was double the size, as some of the US Continental Cup team and coaches were joining us for the week. I was excited to finally have some girls to hang with! We got settled in and had a great week of training.

The trails were pretty empty for most of the week, but by Thursday the other teams started to arrive. On Friday I tested skate skis with my wax tech, Per-Erik, and did some race pace skiing to tune-up the body. My body felt a little heavy but I figured it was just nerves. I had a good workout and headed into the weekend ready to race.

10km Skate:
Saturday's race was individual start skate, 15km for men and 10km for women. The race organizers chose an untraditional scheduling pattern, having the men go first at 10am and the women second at 2pm. With our start time so late in the day, I had a relaxed morning, eating breakfast twice and watching the men's race on TV. I was psyched to see teammate Kris Freeman ski an excellent race for 15th place.

At 12:30pm it was finally time to get out to the race course. The sun was shinning brightly, the air was warm, and there was not a cloud in the sky. I started off my warm-up with ski testing and ended up selecting the pair of skis I have raced on almost every skate race this year. The women's course was three times around a 3.3km loop, so I skied a few laps to check conditions and get my body warmed up. Davos is situated around 5,000ft so a good warm-up was essential.

By the time I got back to the wax tent to change into my race top, I was hot! I strapped on my stars and stripes headband and jogged to the start. Liz Stephens was already there, wide-eyed and super excited to race her first world cup. She started bib #4 and I would be bib #6. The crowd was lined up three deep along the fence as they played "Final Countdown," and the first starter took to the course. A few minutes later I stepped to the line, the announcer gave a quick introduction, and then I was off.

The first section of the course was an 800m long gradual uphill section. There was a slight headwind. I got right into a powerful V2 rhythm and worked my way up to the first steep. As I crested the top I got a quick split that I was 5 seconds out of the lead. "Good start," I thought, and charged on to the next section. There was a fast downhill, a tight hairpin turn and then another gradual V2 section. I pushed the pace a little bit to get myself into a good race pace zone, and focused on quick feet as I entered the next uphill. The course continued upward for a solid 3 minute climb. At the top, the coaches were yelling splits. I was a couple seconds down to Liz, but satisfied with my first lap pace. Next came a fast downhill with a couple tight turns and then a long run back toward the stadium.

Coming off of the downhill I pulled out of my tuck and skated into a short uphill. I expected to feel zippy and fresh after the long rest, but was startled to find that my legs were still burning from the effort of the climb. I dropped back into a tuck over the other side, hoping the burning would subside. As I began my second lap however, the burning was still there. I tried to focus on making quick V2 movements but my mind was starting to panic. Suddenly, the headwind seemed stronger, the snow felt slower, and the remaining six kilometers loomed like a marathon. My body was burning, my movements were labored and my mind was screaming to stop. I kept pushing however, trying to convince myself that I would feel better after the next downhill. I just needed to keep skiing.

I managed to make it around the rest of the lap, but the burning never let up. The coaches were yelling encouragement and other skiers were passing by. I wanted to be able to hang on, but my body was dead and my motivation was gone. My mind entertained thoughts of dropping out and of officially becoming a "sprint specialist", but I knew I needed to finish the race, and that one bad day didn't mean there wouldn't be good distance races in the future. I challenged myself to keep going.

The last lap was painful. Both with the physical pain of the hard effort, and also with the mental pain of not being able to accomplish my goals for the day. I crossed the finish line relieved to be done, but frustrated to have had a tough day. I took a long cool-down ski in the sun, trying to pull out a few lessons from the race for my "bag of experience," so that I could move on and put this race behind me. In contrast, Liz had skied an excellent race and was bubbling with excitement from the whole atmosphere. I turned my inner frown to a smile and fed off of her positive energy. It was time to get fired up for the relay!

Relay:
Continental Cup teammates Morgan Arritola and Taz Mannix would be having their World Cup debut in joining Liz and I for Sunday's 4x5km relay. I would be skiing the scramble leg, Liz second, Morgan third and Taz anchor. We got our bibs at the race meeting on Saturday night and practiced our tags (in our bibs) in the hallway. The atmosphere was light and we were all fired up to ski well.

Race time was again 2pm. The other girls and I watched the men's race on TV before heading out to the venue. It was another brilliant day, perfect for racing. Ski testing went well and I decided to race on a pair of skis owned by my wax tech's wife. Although they weren't my skis, they were fast! While Per-Erik headed back to the wax tent for final touches, I previewed the course and revved up the engine. My body still felt heavy from yesterday but I was ready for the challenge.

A few minutes before start I joined the other first leg skiers in the stadium. Most of the course was in the shade, but the first 200m was in the sun. The wax on my skis was mostly for the shady parts of the course, so as I clicked into my skis I could feel that I wouldn't have much grip off the line. The announcer gave the one-minute warning. I planted my poles and watched the starter. His finger clasped over the trigger and "BANG" we were off.

I took a few slick strides but quickly switched to double-poling. I had started in the second row, and as seven lanes narrowed down to three, I tucked in to the back of the pack. The speed over the opening section was high, but I felt relaxed. Nearing the steep uphill, many of the girls started to double-pole kick. I still felt comfortable double-poling and had to hold back to keep from riding over their skis. We all scrambled up the steep in a giant mass and then swept down the steep on the other side. I took the hairpin turn wide and then cut inside and was able to pass a few skiers. Then we settled back into the tracks for more double-poling.

The pack was tight. My double-pole felt strong and it was tempting to try and move up. But with the major climbs still to come, I thought I would play it safe. The course turned upward and the pace quickened. We approached a steep switchback hill, and it was a mad frenzy of herring-bone. The leaders surged. I was stuck behind a Swiss girl on one side and a German girl on the other side. I had to wait until we rounded the corner and got back into the tracks before I had space to move up.

After a short striding section there was a 180 degree turn to the right. Just as I was about to make the turn, another racer skied across my skis and I stumbled for a moment. I had to DP hard to catch back up. Then another sharp turn to the left and up a steep hill. I strided hard and passed the girl that had tripped me. I pulled up on to the tails of the German skier Steffi Bohler. The pace was hard but I felt good.

Coming off the next steep downhill I took a good line and pulled even. Nearing the top of the course, I was starting to get a little bit ahead of Steffi. But as we approached the next turn, she suddenly charged right into me and across my skis. I tried to keep balance but fell forward with both hands and knees hitting the ground. Steffi got away clean and another Swiss racer I had just passed went whizzing by. I scrambled to get up and chase after them.

The fall had killed my momentum going into the next uphill so I had to stride as hard as I could to make it over the top. I double-poled aggressively into the downhill and dropped into the lowest tuck I could hold. I rode the tuck into the flat and then rose up into a mad double-pole. I threw my weight down the trail like I would in a sprint race, determined to catch those racers ahead. By the time I hit the next downhill, I had generated some good speed. The racers ahead were in a high stance while I stayed really low. I came into the big sweeping turn with a ton of speed. The other girls snow-plowed while I worked the side step. I came flying by Steffi and took chase after the Swiss team.

The final kilometer included three short steep uphills and downhills in between. I scrambled up the steeps and stayed low on the flats and downs. As I came up the final steep in the stadium I was right on the tails of the Swiss team. I double-poled hard into the exchange zone and tagged off to Liz. I glanced up at the big screen to see that I had come in about 32 seconds off the lead pace, in 9th place. I was very pleased.

It was such a relief to have felt good out there racing, as opposed to how I felt yesterday. I took off on a cool-down ski charged with energy and cheered on my teammates. Everyone skied well and we finished in 11th place. It was an exciting day for us, as this was the first time this group of US women have teamed up for an international relay. Our team is young and I believe this is the beginning of fielding a really strong US women's team. I'm already looking forward to the World Championships relay in Sapporo in a few weeks!

I have been in Europe for almost a month now, and tomorrow I start the next chapter of this season, Asia! While Liz, Morgan and Taz head off to ski OPA cup races in Germany, I will be traveling with the World Cup team to Ashikawa, Japan for a week-long training camp. Then, a World Cup race in China, as the final tune-up before World Championships begins in Sapporo on February 22nd. I have never been to Asia before and I look forward to a very new and different experience!

Thanks for following the adventure!

Cheers,
Kikkan :)

Randall 7th in World Cup Sprint in Changchun, China

If you are interested in watching coverage of the World Cup races, be sure to check out the World Championships Sports Network, a new website that offers international race footage to North American audiences for the first time. Go to www.wcsn.com/skiing and click on the x-country tab to see what races are available for viewing! (I've been using this site and it's awesome! I highly recommend!).